Alright, I hope I can get a response.So as a grad present I got 500$ and was looking into upgrading my Dell XPS 420. I know it's basically impossible to upgrade but I am going to try. I want to get a new video card, power supply(people are saying you can get a ATX PSU in a BTX case) and CPU. Now I was looking at this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115041 because based on this website http://en.community.dell.com/support-forum...t/19242670.aspx if I read it correctly this processor is compatible. Am I correct saying that? Also, if I bought a power supply is there anything in terms of cables I need to watch out for? Is there anything I need to know if I upgrade all of these? Is there a better CPU that is Quad core that would also work with my computer that is compatible. I know you can get a i7 for the price of the CPU I am looking at but the thing doesn't even fit.

Hey, congratulations on your graduation.While I'm no expert, I do think that you are going the best route you can, given where you are starting. I would add another gig of ram, since you have a 64 bit system. Higher end PSUs should come with all the proper cables(two for a high end GPU). And yes, if you go I, you will need a new MoBo and ram. Don't expect a huge increase in FPS. But things should smooth out. Some will say that you should save your money for an i7 system. Hard to argue with that, as i7 is the way to go. So you have some thinking to do. I would love to upgrade, but it will be a long time before I can. As you can see in my sig, I have the rig you are after(with 1066 ram not 800). It runs FSX OK, but then I don't have any add ons. Good luck to you.Bob

Thank you!I was thinking about another gig of ram but I don't know if my 500 will go that far and I thought I could wait. And since FSX is a CPU intensive game I thought I could upgrade my CPU. Also ATI sucks with FSX. I can't even have detailed clouds on because I go from 50 fps to 15 in fair weather. I know the i7 is the same price as this CPU I want but my motherboard can't fit it so this is the next best thing.

Specs I read for your rig say max 4 gigs of ram.Bob

Actually I believe the max for the Dell XPS 420 is 8 gigs of ram.

I think you're going to have a very difficult time upgrading your XPS 420. For one, as you state, your system has a BTX Motherboard which is smaller than the ATX. You'll have to find out if your current board is compatible with a new processor. I believe Dell installed the NForce Nvidia BTX MB (at least that's what is installed in mine). It has an Intel Chipset but I can only upgrade my CPU as stated on the Nvidia website and, as I recall it was just one step up to a Quadcore Processor. If you have an Intel MB, you'll need to go to this link - http://processormatch.intel.com/COMPDB/default.aspx - to find out what you can upgrade to. With your $500 I would upgrade to a basic system such as what is suggested at this link: http://www.techspot.com/guides/buying/. Also on the techspot site is a tab for Motherboard and CPU compatibility which may provide you more information on the compatibility of your Motherboard with existing CPU's. I think Dell sold their systems so that it would be difficult to upgrade and you would end up buying a new one. I would suspect other manufacturers did the same. Best regards,Jim

Well, in my original post I posted a link that showed a bunch of processors that were compatible and that's why I picked the Q9550 as the processor I want (i7's don't even fit the mother board unless they sell 775 socket) I also found a ATX/BTX psu so it should fit my BTX case.

Should I go modular or non for my power supply?

Taylor,I think we have more or less the identical computer, though mine has 4gb RAM. I've also upgraded to Win 7 x64. I'd be interesting to know if you find any good upgrades because I'm looking to do something similar myself. One of the problems is the 425w power supply, so if there is a replacement available I'd love to hear about it.FWIW when I first installed FSX I had the same problems with clouds and fog impacting on frame rates, but the last couple of driver updates have made a massive difference to the better. If you haven't done so already try updating to Catalyst 10.4, and don't forget to add the Vsync fix to your FSX.cfg. With sensible slider settings I can run at 20fps locked and smooth in most weather situations now.I still have problems running alot of traffic, I've got everything set to 10% and airport vehicles on medium. At large hubs this can force my framerate down to the mid-teens near the terminal buildings.Kind regardsDave

I found a 700watt modular psu on newegg that is ATX/BTX so I am assuming that would fit my btx case but I have heard that also ATX also fits in BTX.

I found a 700watt modular psu on newegg that is ATX/BTX so I am assuming that would fit my btx case but I have heard that also ATX also fits in BTX.

just out of interest, what's the difference between a modular and non-modular powersupply - and if you upgrade the power supply, do you have to redo all the power cabling?Kind regardsDave

Maybe, I have no idea. The only thing that I have ever replaced or put in a computer is ram and a video card. I think modular is where you can remove cables from the psu so its better cable management.

Maybe, I have no idea. The only thing that I have ever replaced or put in a computer is ram and a video card. I think modular is where you can remove cables from the psu so its better cable management.

That's my understanding too - the question is, is the Dell XPS 420 power supply also modular, so we could theoretically just hook up the new PSU to the existing cabling. If that's the case, swapping out the PSU should be fairly easy.Although I've built computers from scratch, but that was a few years ago and I always had cases with the PSU pre-installed. So this is new territory for me also!Kind regardsDave

I don't think so.

So then - in order to replace the XPS 420 powersupply, we will need to a) find a power supply that fits the BTX case, and :( re-do all the cabling runs inside the machine after installation?I don't fancy that much, I have to say :(